1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an aid tool for aiding in replacement operation of a part to be replaced of an image forming apparatus, and also relates to an image forming apparatus to which this aid tool can be attached.
2. Description of Related Art
Removably attached to an image forming apparatus such as a facsimile or the like are a number of parts such as an image forming unit including a photoreceptor drum and a developing roller, a toner cartridge for supplying toner, and the like.
The toner cartridge is arranged to supply, as necessary, toner to the developing device. When the toner in the developing device is fully consumed, the emptied toner cartridge is replaced with a new toner cartridge, causing the toner therein to be supplied. For replacing the used toner cartridge, the operator opens, for example, the shell of the main body of the image forming apparatus. Then, the operator takes out the used toner cartridge from the predetermined cartridge fitting portion to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus, and then mounts a new toner cartridge on the cartridge fitting portion. This means that the used toner cartridge is temporarily placed around the image forming apparatus.
Toner is sticking to the used toner cartridge at its outer surface. Accordingly, when the used toner cartridge is placed around the image forming apparatus, this involves the likelihood that the articles therearound are made dirty with the toner. Further, in the course of the used toner cartridge from the removal to the placement, toner falls from the toner cartridge to the outside of the main body of the image forming apparatus. This results in contamination of the articles around the image forming apparatus.
Further, the longer is the path from the cartridge fitting portion to the place where the used toner cartridge is temporarily put, the higher is the possibility of the toner contaminating the articles around the path and the fingers and clothes of the operator. In particular, when there is no suitable temporarily putting place around the image forming apparatus, it is very hard to avoid toner contamination.
As to the replacement of other part to be replaced such as an image forming unit or the like, too, when there is no suitable temporarily putting place around the image forming apparatus, the replacement cannot be executed with high efficiency.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an aid tool for successfully aiding in replacement operation of a part to be replaced of an image forming apparatus, and also to provide an image forming apparatus in which a part to be replaced can successfully be replaced.
The aid tool according to the present invention comprises: a part holding unit for holding a part to be replaced; and a mounting portion for removably mounting the part holding unit on an image forming apparatus (at its main body for example).
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when the mounting portion of this aid tool is mounted on an image forming apparatus, the part holding unit is attached thereto. Accordingly, when the aid tool is attached to the image forming apparatus at the time of part replacement, a place where the part to be replaced is to be temporarily put, can be prepared in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus. More specifically, the part to be replaced as removed from the image forming apparatus or a replacing part to be attached thereto, can be held by the part holding unit. This advantageously shortens the distance by which the part to be replaced is moved. Further, even though a suitable part temporarily putting place cannot be assured around the image forming apparatus, the part replacement can efficiently be executed.
The part to be replaced may be a toner cartridge. In this case, at the time of cartridge replacement, the used toner cartridge taken out from the image forming apparatus, can be held by the part holding unit attached thereto. This prevents the circumference around the image forming apparatus from being contaminated by the toner at the time of replacement of the toner cartridge.
The part to be replaced may be an image forming unit having a photoreceptor and a developing unit.
The part to be replaced may be a fixing roller for fixing a transferred toner image onto paper, or a recovery tank disposed at the toner recovery unit of the image forming unit for accumulating the toner collected from the photoreceptor. Often, toner is sticking to the outer surface of such a part as taken out from the image forming apparatus. Accordingly, when such a part is placed outside of the image forming apparatus, this contributes to contamination by toner. The present invention can also be applied to an aid tool for aiding in replacement of other part to be replaced than those above-mentioned, as far as such a part is removably attached to the image forming apparatus.
Preferably, the part holding unit is a part housing container having a housing space for housing the part to be replaced. According to the arrangement above-mentioned, the part to be replaced is housed in the housing space formed in the part housing container at the time of part replacement.
In the arrangement above-mentioned, the part housing container preferably also serves as a packaging container for housing a new replacing part. In this case, at the time of part replacement, the operator can attach, to the image forming apparatus, the part housing container from which a new part has been taken out, and can put the used part in the housing space thus emptied. More specifically, the used part can be held by the container in which a new part has been packaged. This enables part replacement to be executed without the circumference around the image forming apparatus contaminated.
Preferably, the part housing container comprises a main body for receiving the part to be replaced, and a lid which openably closes the housing space with respect to the main body, and the mounting portion is disposed at the main body.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when the mounting portion disposed at the main body is mounted on the image forming apparatus, the part housing container is attached thereto. At the time of part replacement, the part to be replaced is received by the main body.
Preferably, the part housing container also serves as a packaging container in which a new replacing part is housed. In this case; the part housing container having a housing space opened after the new part has been taken out, can be attached, as it is,to the image forming apparatus. This enables part replacement to be more rapidly executed.
By closing the lid after the used part has been housed, the used part can be handled with no trouble of toner contamination.
Preferably, the aid tool further comprises a reception portion arranged such that when the aid tool is attached to the image forming apparatus, the reception portion receives, under the path of the part to be replaced from the fitting portion of the part to be replaced in the image forming apparatus to the part holding unit, a thing falling from the part to be replaced.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, even though a falling thing such as toner or the like falls from the part to be replaced while the same is moved from the fitting portion of the image forming apparatus to the part holding unit, this reception portion receives such a falling thing. This prevents the circumference around the image forming apparatus from being contaminated by a falling thing at the time of part replacement.
The reception portion may be disposed at the main body, and the mounting portion may be disposed at the reception portion.
An image forming apparatus of the present invention comprises an engagement portion engageable with and disengageable from the mounting portion of the part-replacement aid tool above-mentioned.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, the mounting portion of the part-replacement aid tool is engaged with the engagement portion of the image forming apparatus such that the part holding unit is attached thereto. Accordingly, when the part holding unit is attached to the image forming apparatus at the time of replacement of the part to be replaced, there can be provided, in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus, a place where the part to be replaced is temporarily put. More specifically,the part holding unit can hold the part to be replaced as taken out from the image forming apparatus or the new replacing part to be attached thereto. This advantageously not only shortens the distance by which the part to be replaced is moved, but also enables part replacement to be efficiently executed even though a suitable part temporarily putting place cannot be assured around the image forming apparatus.
Preferably, the engagement portion is fixed to the image forming apparatus at least at the time of replacement of the part to be replaced.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, when the part-replacement aid tool is attached to the engagement portion, a part temporarily putting place can securely be provided in the vicinity of the image forming apparatus.
The engagement portion may be disposed at the main body housing of the image forming apparatus.
The engagement portion may be disposed at a unit which is removably attached to the main body housing of the image forming apparatus and which has a fitting portion for the part to be replaced.
When the part to be replaced is a toner cartridge, the unit having the fitting portion for the part to be replaced, may be an image forming unit which has a photoreceptor and a developing unit and on which a toner cartridge can be mounted.
Preferably, the engagement portion is disposed such that the part holding unit is positioned in the vicinity of the fitting portion for the part to be replaced. In this case, the part holding unit is positioned, in the image forming apparatus, in the vicinity of the fitting portion for the part to be replaced. More specifically, the distance by which the part to be replaced is moved from the fitting portion to the part holding unit at the time of part replacement, is short. Thus, the part to be replaced can readily be held by the part holding unit. Further, the contamination by toner or the like can be minimized.
One of the mounting portion and the engagement portion may be a hook, and the other of the mounting portion and the engagement portion may be an engagement hole with which the hook is engaged.
According to the arrangement above-mentioned, the engagement of the hook with the engagement hole enables the part holding unit to be attached to the image forming apparatus.
Preferably, the engagement hole comprises a fitting hole extending in one direction, and a coming-out preventing hole having a narrow width and extending from the fitting hole in a direction substantially at a right angle to the direction in which the fitting hole extends. Preferably, the hook to be engaged with the fitting hole, comprises a standing portion extending substantially upright from the top surface of the image forming apparatus, and a bent portion which is bent from the tip of the standing portion.
Preferably, the mounting portion of the part holding unit is an engagement hole, and the engagement portion of the image forming apparatus is a hook. This is because it is easier to form an engagement hole than to form a hook when the part holding unit is made by machining a sheet.
These and other features, objects and advantages of the present invention will be more fully apparent from the following detailed description set forth below when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.